PlainSpending

California Federal Spending

$485.6B in FY2025 - a heavy absolute book (rank #1 of 57).

$485.6B total · $12,283 per capita · FY2025 · Ranked #1 total, #41 per capita · 21.5% below national avg

In FY2025, California received $485.6B in federal spending - $12,283 per capita, ranking #41 among 57 states and 21.5% below the national average. The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 45.3% of tracked awards. The top spending agency is Department of Health and Human Services.

California · FY2025

California received $485.6B in federal spending in FY2025 - $12,283 per resident, 21.5% below the national average, with contracts the largest award category.

Total federal spending
$485.6B
#1 of 57 states
Per resident
$12,283
#41 per capita
Latest annual change
+$40.7B
FY2024 to FY2025 (+9.2%)
Top agency
Dept. of Health and Human Services
$175.9B

Heavy absolute federal book

California sits #1 of 56 states by total federal spending ($485.6B).

According to USASpending.gov, the federal government directed a dense absolute book of $485.6B to California in FY2025 ($12,283 per resident across 39,538,223 people). Total-dollar rank #1 marks a heavy absolute footprint; per-capita rank is #41 (21.5% below the $15,647 national average).

Low per-resident intensity still shows a full award-count mix: 305,368 contracts, 39,718 grants, 242,792 loans, and 78,305 direct payments. The most common award type is contracts at 45.3% of tracked awards in the state, with loans a distant second at 242,792 awards. Department of Health and Human Services is the single largest federal agency operating in California, with $175.9B in obligations - more than Social Security Administration's $157.5B.

Over the available history, federal spending in California has grown 4.8% from $463.4B in FY2020 to $485.6B in FY2025 - from a below-average intensity baseline. Combined with 58 counties and top recipient Health Care Services, California Department Of at $112.5B, the trail shows whether the light intensity is closing the gap.

Figures are award-transaction data from USASpending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury). See our methodology for per-capita denominators and award categories.

Source: USAspending.gov, Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) + System for Award Management (SAM) California federal awards (contracts, grants, loans, direct payments) for FY2025 · 2025 USAspending.gov publishes award-level data within ~30 days of obligation; categories follow OMB Object Class Codes. Per-capita metrics use Census ACS population estimates as the denominator.

Where this large absolute book sits

Total Spending

$485.6B

Rank #1

Per Capita

$12,283

Rank #41

Population

39,538,223

Contract Awards

305,368

Grant Awards

39,718

Total Federal Spending

$485.6B

FY2025 obligations

Per Capita

$12,283

Rank #41

Counties Receiving

58

federal dollars

Top Agency Share

$175.9B

Department of Health and Human

California award-type mix by count (FY2025)

Awards45.3%36%11.6%ContractsLoansDirect PaymentsGrantsOther
Per-state share of tracked federal awards BY COUNT across major OMB-aligned award types (not a dollar-value breakdown). Mandatory-vs-discretionary marker reflects the entitlement-vs-appropriated split.
California per-capita federal spending vs. national average 65.4%
National average

Compared against the national average of $15,647 per resident.

Awards by Type

Contracts is the most common award type at 45.3% of tracked awards in California (by count, not dollar value).

Contracts 305,368 awards (45.3%)
Loans 242,792 awards (36.0%)
Direct Payments 78,305 awards (11.6%)
Grants 39,718 awards (5.9%)
Other 7,772 awards (1.2%)

Comparison to National Average

Metric California National Avg Difference
Per Capita Spending $12,283 $15,647 -21.5%
Contracts Share 0.0% - -
Grants Share 0.0% - -

Top Federal Agencies in California

Federal agencies ranked by total spending in California during FY2025.

# Agency Spending % of Total
1 Department of Health and Human Services $175.9B 36.2%
2 Social Security Administration $157.5B 32.4%
3 Department of Defense $39.9B 8.2%
4 Department of Veterans Affairs $21.9B 4.5%
5 Department of Agriculture $21.5B 4.4%
6 Department of Education $11.3B 2.3%
7 Department of Housing and Urban Development $10.1B 2.1%
8 Department of Transportation $9.4B 1.9%
9 Department of Energy $9.0B 1.9%
10 Department of Homeland Security $9.0B 1.9%

Top Recipients in California

Organizations and entities receiving the most federal funds in California.

# Recipient Total Awards
1 Health Care Services, California Department Of $112.5B
2 Department of Social Services California $21.1B
3 Department of Education California $7.5B
4 Department of Transportation California $6.3B
5 Office of Emergency Services $6.2B
6 Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC $3.6B
7 Qtc Medical Services INC $2.8B
8 California Institute of Technology $2.3B
9 The Boeing Company $2.3B
10 California Public Utilities Commission $2.1B
11 Space Exploration Technologies CORP. $2.1B
12 Raytheon Company $1.8B
13 Public Health, California Department Of $1.8B
14 Ecc Constructors LLC $1.7B

Spending Trends

The latest annual comparison is +$40.7B (+9.2%) from FY2024 to FY2025; this is a difference in recorded award obligations, not a claim about cause or local benefit. Federal spending in California increased 4.8% from FY2020 to FY2025.

$400B$420B$440B$460B$480B$500B$520B FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025 $486B
Fiscal Year Total Spending Per Capita Population
FY2025 $485.6B $12,283 39,538,223
FY2024 $444.9B $11,252 39,538,223
FY2023 $424.1B $10,728 39,538,223
FY2022 $425.3B $10,757 39,538,223
FY2021 $510.4B $12,908 39,538,223
FY2020 $463.4B $11,721 39,538,223

Counties in California

58 counties ranked by federal spending in FY2025.

# County Total Spending Per Capita Population
1 Los Angeles County $80.1B $7,997 10,014,009
2 Alameda County $42.5B $25,252 1,682,353
3 San Diego County $35.4B $10,723 3,298,634
4 Sacramento County $23.4B $14,781 1,585,055
5 Orange County $23.4B $7,341 3,186,989
6 Riverside County $14.8B $6,140 2,418,185
7 Santa Clara County $13.6B $7,000 1,936,259
8 San Bernardino County $12.6B $5,778 2,181,654
9 San Francisco County $8.5B $9,698 873,965
10 Contra Costa County $7.2B $6,139 1,165,927
11 Ventura County $6.0B $7,141 843,843
12 Kern County $5.9B $6,502 909,235
13 Fresno County $5.0B $4,949 1,008,654
14 San Mateo County $4.4B $5,783 764,442
15 San Joaquin County $4.4B $5,595 779,233
16 Sonoma County $3.5B $7,082 488,863
17 Santa Barbara County $3.4B $7,625 448,229
18 Solano County $3.4B $7,432 453,491
19 Monterey County $3.1B $7,081 439,035
20 Stanislaus County $2.9B $5,257 552,878
21 Placer County $2.8B $6,929 404,739
22 Tulare County $2.5B $5,190 473,117
23 Marin County $2.4B $9,078 262,321
24 San Luis Obispo County $2.2B $7,858 282,424
25 Santa Cruz County $2.0B $7,269 270,861
26 Imperial County $1.8B $9,988 179,702
27 Merced County $1.7B $5,878 281,202
28 Shasta County $1.5B $8,377 182,155
29 Butte County $1.5B $7,035 211,632
30 El Dorado County $1.5B $7,746 191,185
31 Yolo County $1.4B $6,412 216,403
32 Humboldt County $1.2B $9,072 136,463
33 Napa County $925.7M $6,707 138,019
34 Madera County $902.3M $5,775 156,255
35 Nevada County $870.0M $8,509 102,241
36 Mendocino County $827.5M $9,034 91,601
37 Kings County $821.6M $5,388 152,486
38 Yuba County $728.7M $8,933 81,575
39 Sutter County $618.8M $6,211 99,633
40 Lake County $508.9M $7,466 68,163
41 Tuolumne County $468.1M $8,416 55,620
42 Tehama County $450.9M $6,850 65,829
43 Siskiyou County $421.4M $9,561 44,076
44 Calaveras County $418.1M $9,231 45,292
45 Mariposa County $412.8M $24,096 17,131
46 San Benito County $383.6M $5,974 64,209
47 Amador County $350.0M $8,649 40,474
48 Del Norte County $296.6M $10,691 27,743
49 Inyo County $272.9M $14,349 19,016
50 Lassen County $241.3M $7,373 32,730
51 Plumas County $219.9M $11,113 19,790
52 Trinity County $200.1M $12,419 16,112
53 Glenn County $190.2M $6,579 28,917
54 Colusa County $133.7M $6,124 21,839
55 Mono County $100.5M $7,615 13,195
56 Modoc County $85.7M $9,848 8,700
57 Sierra County $26.1M $8,057 3,236
58 Alpine County $8.7M $7,229 1,204
DOGE impact for California → Per-capita rankings → Why spending varies by state →

States With Similar Per Capita Spending

States with per capita federal spending closest to California's $12,283.

New Hampshire

$12,356 per capita

$17.0B total

Delaware

$12,366 per capita

$12.2B total

North Carolina

$12,400 per capita

$129.4B total

Idaho

$12,406 per capita

$22.8B total

Colorado

$12,155 per capita

$70.2B total

Compare California to another state side-by-side →

States with similar total federal spending

Nearest nationwide peers by total obligation volume ($485.6B here) - a different axis from the per-capita neighbors above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much federal spending did California receive in FY2025?

California received a heavy absolute book of $485.6B in FY2025 ($12,283 per capita; population 39,538,223).

What is the largest category of federal spending in California?

The most common award type is contracts, accounting for 305,368 awards (45.3% of tracked awards). The second-largest is loans at 242,792 awards.

How has federal spending in California changed over time?

Federal spending in California increased by 4.8% from FY2020 ($463.4B) to FY2025 ($485.6B).

How does California's federal spending per capita compare to the national average?

California's $12,283 runs 21.5% below the $15,647 national average (rank #41 of 57).

Where does California rank nationally in federal spending?

California ranks #41 of 57 on per-capita intensity ($12,283 - a light band) and #1 on absolute volume ($485.6B) in FY2025.

Which federal agencies spend the most in California?

The top federal agency spending in California is Department of Health and Human Services with $175.9B. Followed by Social Security Administration ($157.5B) and Department of Defense ($39.9B).

How many counties in California receive federal spending?

58 counties in California receive federal spending. The county receiving the most is Los Angeles County with $80.1B.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and presented.

Verify with USASpending.gov → Verify population with U.S. Census Bureau →